Un2talented (Book 3 of the Un2 Series)

“Cadence?”

“Yep.”

“I’m Ronny. C’mon in.”

The staffer propped open the kitchen door and ushered Cadence inside.

“Thanks for letting me come back and look for my Grandma’s jewelry. I can’t seem to find it anywhere,” Cadence said, pretending to be as embarrassed as she could about a non-existent accessory.

“No worries, I’m here all night anyway. Let’s start with the box in the break room. We put stuff there when we don’t know what else to do with it.”

The staffer guided Cadence into a comfy lounge-like space just off the kitchen in the same hallway as the guest rooms. It had the same vintage feel as the employee dining room she saw earlier on the tour but was furnished with overstuffed leather wing chairs and high-back sofas rather than stiff wooden dining chairs. A large flat screen that hung above the intricately detailed walnut mantle played a popular cartoon from the early two-thousands. A low fire burned below.

“Ooh, cozy!” Cadence cooed. She pointed at the screen. “I loved that show.”

“Filthy Humans!” The staffer mimicked the invader’s rage.

“Doom! Doom! Doom!” Cadence replied in a dopey metallic voice.

Ronny walked over to a narrow library table that ran along the wall to their right. Shallow wooden boxes labeled “In”, “Out”, and “Does this belong to you?” sat alongside a single-cup coffee maker, a tray of white restaurant-style coffee mugs, and the pods and add-ins to create the warm, tasty beverage. He headed to search through the belongings in the last box.

“Sunglasses, knit cap, guitar capo . . . “Ronny announced each item as he took it from the box and placed it on the table. He withdrew the last item and examined it more closely. “. . . and an envelope with your name on it.”

He extended the bulging white rectangle to Cadence.

“What?” She said, not expecting to find anything during the mock search. She undid the metal clasp on the flap and withdrew a note.

“Cadence, I believe this bauble belongs to you.”

Beneath the message was a small, hand-drawn circle containing a pair of fish forming a yin-yang type icon. Next to that was a matrix of nine small circles that combined to fill a larger square followed by “R_O_C_K_S_T_A_R”. She turned the note to face Ronny.

“Any idea what this stuff is?” she said, pointing to the symbols.

Ronny nodded knowingly. “The fish thingy is a version of something they do in Japan. Lenny signs his notes that way. I have no idea what the other stuff means.”

Cadence widened the opening of the envelope and peered inside. Resting at the bottom was a filigreed silver cuff bracelet adorned with a garnet-encrusted scarab. The bangle was encased in a vacuum-sealed storage bag. She pulled it free and held it in front of her by one of the bag’s corners. She turned it back and forth to view it from all sides. Ronny shook his head and chuckled.

“Lenny sure does love that vacuum sealer! Whenever he drops something in the lost-and-found he makes it a little difficult for the owner of the item to get at it. He says it urges them to think, to be more mindful of their property.”

“Plus, it prevents freezer burn!” Cadence added.

They both chuckled.

“So, you’ve got your Granny’s bracelet. Do you need anything else? I need to get back to work, but you can catch some ’toons and have a cup of coffee if you want. I mean, you work here now. You might as well make use of the perks.”

“Thanks,” Cadence said. “It is pretty nice in front of the fire. Maybe I will stick around a while.”

Ronny grabbed the remote from a side table and raised it, wiggled it a bit, and set it down to suggest that she could control what she wanted to watch.

“I’ll see you ’round. Remember, I’m Ronny and I’m at your disposal.”

He bowed, tipped an imaginary hat, and backed his way out of the break room. Cadence smiled and thought that he seemed nice. After fixing a cup of coffee Cadence settled into the wingback chair closest to the fireplace, setting her coffee on the table next to the remote. She held the vacuum-sealed bracelet in front of her and watched the reflection of the fire dance across the jeweled back of the scarab. She pulled at the plastic and quickly realized how resilient the freezer pack was. She raised the package to her mouth and bit through the edge of the plastic using her pointiest canine tooth. The seal loosened around the bauble as she tore open the package. As she pulled the bracelet from its wrapping and snapped it to her wrist the air in the room went heavy and all sound dissipated. The television glowed brightly with a static image of a scowling spaceman. Below it, the fireplace hearth was brightened by an unwavering flame. For a moment Cadence thought she had one of those brief blackout moments like when you have been driving on autopilot and you realize that you don’t quite know what point you are at in your journey, but the sensation continued. She pressed her fingers into the side of her neck. There was a strong, regular pulse. She was relieved. She didn’t know why she checked. Cadence hadn’t a vague idea of what she would have done if there wasn’t one. As she rose from the chair, she bumped the side table hard enough to knock over her coffee. As she grabbed for the mug it froze mid-spill, the coffee suspended just beyond the rim of the cup. She ran her finger through the floating liquid. It was hot and wet, just as it should be except for its current defiance of gravity. She cautiously crossed the room to the doorway that led to the kitchen hallway. It was empty and eerily silent She ventured toward the kitchen. As she rounded the corner she nearly ran into Ronny.

“Oh, Jeez!” she blurted as she pulled up short to avoid impact. Ronny didn’t respond. Ronny didn’t move. He stood frozen in mid-step, one of his feet inches from making contact with the floor. Cadence stepped away from Ronny and looked across the room. Another staffer stood at the sink, washing a pot. But he wasn’t washing a pot; he was motionless holding the cookware beneath a column of not flowing water. She re-entered the hallway.

She heard a footfall beyond a distant door.

“Hello?” Cadence called out. She jumped, startled by her own voice.

“Hello?” she called again.

“Over here!” the voice from behind the door replied.